Founders
Meet Shon Williams
Shon E. Williams was born and raised in New Orleans. At 17, Shon was
sentenced to a mandatory life sentence in prison. Shon served 26 years in the
Louisiana State Penitentiary. With no hope of coming home, Shon tried to make his situation better. During his incarceration, Shon obtained his GED, became a
Certified Sign Language Interpreter, and was the first inmate in Louisiana’s
Department of Corrections to become a Certified Veterinarian’s Assistant. Shon
worked in the prison library until his release in 2019. Shon is a member of the
Louisiana Parole Project and the Community Advisory board for the University of New Orleans.
Meet Louis Gibson
Louis Gibson is a Resentencing Client Advocate at Orleans Public Defenders, where he passionately advocates for second chances and redemption. His own journey of transformation includes overcoming a life sentence handed down when he was just 17, a fate shared by over 300 individuals in Louisiana for crimes committed in their youth. In his quest for redemption, Louis earned his GED and a diploma in Culinary Arts before being selected for the prestigious Louisiana State Police Trusty Program, where he played a vital role in maintaining Louisiana State Police aircraft for over a decade.